BILLINGS, Mont. – For the second-straight year, the Nanooks will send Naomi Bailey, Rosie Fordham and Kendall Kramer to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. The women's cross country team took seventh in the team standings while the men did not qualify enough finishers for a team score.
 
"This was a totally cool race, from multiple perspectives, and for a multitude of reasons." Said graduate assistant Josh Sanderlin, "Race preparation was unique because there were factors such as severe weather, elevation, and steep competition that we were all balancing. I know that there are certainly cons to having cross country in such conditions but harkening back to how these races used to be is a pretty cool thing to do in my opinion."
 
The men's team started the day with their 10k NCAA West Regional race at Amend Park in Billings, Mont. Charlie Dannatt, a junior from Simon Fraser, took first in the men's race, pushing through the finish line with a time of 30:07.49. Chico State picked up the team win at the 2022 NCAA West Regional, placing first with a team score of 48. Western Washington followed in second with a team score of 82, and Azusa Pacific finished third with a team score of 111. As for Alaska, the Nanooks were led by sophomore Koen Ross. He took 133^rd-place individually, finishing in a time of 34:38.13. Following close behind was Ryan Owens and Josh Baurick. Owens took 145^th-place overall with a time of 35:56.12 and Baurick took 148^th with a time of 36:11.04. 
 
Jack Cater rounded out the Nanooks men's finishers just behind Baurick in 149^th with a time of 38:01.75. "I am proud of the boys for the effort they gave to the 10k today." Added Sanderlin, "The boys came away from the race with a profound sense of completion and achievement, having displayed their grit, heart, and pride. Learning is a central component of the boys' running careers at the moment, and so long as I see them taking away things from races that they hadn't had the day prior, I will be convinced that the mission is accomplished."
 
The highlight of the day came in the women's race for the Nanooks as Naomi Bailey, Rosie Fordham and Kendall Kramer reminded the West Region of who they are. Bailey came out and won the NCAA West Regional, crossing the finish line with a time of 20:53.08, beating teammate Kendall Kramer by five seconds as Kramer took second-place with a time of 20:58.47. Rosie Fordham followed closely behind, finishing fourth with a time of 21:13.81, rounding out the top-five finishes for the Nanooks women's team. With the top-25 finish, the three all earned All-West Region honors.
 
Delainey Zock was the fourth finisher for the Nanooks, taking 73^rd-overall place with a finishing time of 22:47.18. Abigail Haas was the final scoring racer for the Nanooks, taking 143^rd-place with a time of 24:26.03 and Teegan Silva finished the racers off for the 'Nooks, finishing 157^th with a time of 25:05.24. Sanderlin was beyond proud of how the women's team raced in the NCAA West Regional, "Brilliance, dominance, intelligence, all things the women displayed in their efforts to qualify a team for the Nationals meet in a couple weeks. From top to bottom, this whole season has placed a significant amount of pressure on each of the women at each race, and they always meet the expectation. Today was a good one: 7th place in one of the more competitive regions in the country, 2nd out of the GNAC teams, and a real shot at an at-large selection is in the cards. On an individual level, we had Naomi win, Kendall took 2nd, and Rosie took 4th, all punching their tickets to Nationals in a couple of weeks. My thoughts on these accomplishments are hard to put into words, but they are significant. The West region featured some of the most seasoned, talented, and accomplished runners in the country, so to take 3 of the top 4 spots away from some of the best schools in the country feels good."

The Nanooks women's team finished seventh with 221 team points, trailing only Western Washington from the GNAC. WWU took sixth with 220 team points, finishing as the highest GNAC team. Stanislaus State won the women's regional with 91 points. Chico State took second with 93 points and Biola took third with 114 points. 
 
The three will get ready for the NCAA Championships in Seattle, Wash. On Friday, Dec. 2 as Seattle Pacific will host the Championships at Chambers Creek Regional Park. 
 
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks cross country teams, follow @NanooksXC on Instagram or Twitter, or like the Alaska Nanooks XC team page on Facebook.